


sanctuary

by boyfrendery



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Loneliness, M/M, No Plot/Plotless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 06:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19290460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyfrendery/pseuds/boyfrendery
Summary: ten finds solace in johnny's bed





	sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> title and idea inspired by [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWN81V7ojOE) song.
> 
> my first fic! hope you enjoy it ♡

The night before NCT 127 left for their Japanese tour, Johnny gave the spare key for their dorm to Ten. “In case of an emergency,” he said quietly, slipping it into Ten’s hand before giving him a peck on the cheek. “Also, water Yuta’s plant at least once. He’ll be heartbroken if it dies while we’re gone.” 

Ten hadn’t thought anything of it and kept the key in a safe place, tucked away in the hidden compartment of his jewelry box. When the group returned from the Japanese dates and prepared for the North American leg of the tour, WayV was preparing for their own comeback in the Ukraine. The two groups were so busy preparing for their schedules that they barely saw each other. Soon enough, NCT 127 was overseas for a month, leaving their dorm empty.

It took a week after they left again for Ten to realize he missed Johnny. At that point, it had been a month since they last saw each other and even longer since they last spent any quality time together. He decided it was time to visit the other group’s dorm, to see how Yuta’s plant was doing.

Stepping into someone else’s empty home with their key felt like something between trespassing and housekeeping. He had been in this dorm many times before – watching Hollywood films in the living room with Jaehyun and Mark, studying Korean with Winwin and Yuta on their kitchen table, waiting for Taeyong before heading down to the practice rooms – yet the air felt stale and eerie. Ten locks the door behind him and removes his shoes, walking into the kitchen to grab his favourite cup out of the cupboard before pouring himself water. He takes a long gulp, breathing out a sigh as he finishes the cup. He turns on the tap to refill the cup with ice cold water. _It’s way too quiet in here_ , he thinks to himself.

On the TV stand in the living room is Johnny’s old stereo: a clunky silver CD player with two speakers. The members rarely use it, opting instead for a phone and wireless speaker for parties in the dorm. The stereo sits with dust collected overtop, a thin layer of grey covering the matte black wood. Ten puts down the cup of water on the stand and searches for an album on the shelves below, skimming through Johnny’s outdated collection. He picks a rectangular black album and opens it carefully, a photocard slipping out as he removes the CD from its packaging and places it in the player. Ten instantly smiles as the song begins to play, picking up his glass of water off the stand as the first line starts.

“ _Oh maybe maybe,_ ” he hums to himself quietly, letting the voices of the CD fill up the room. Johnny’s album collection is a mix of 2000s American alternative rock and all of NCT’s albums. There really is no in between.

Ten heads to Yuta’s room, the flooring below his feet shifting from plush carpet to cold hardwood. Both beds in the room are made and set, albeit a bit messily. Atop Yuta’s bed is a stuffed cat toy laying contently in the center of the mattress. Taeil’s blanket is haphazardly strewn across the bed, folded over on itself and barely covering the bedsheet underneath it. As Ten crosses past Taeil’s side of the room, he steps on a single grey sock at the foot of the bed. _Taeil probably packed last minute._

Yuta’s plant is located at the corner of the room on a desk next his dresser. Ten can’t identify what plant it is – probably some sort of succulent, chubby pale green leaves sprouting up from its shiny enamel pot. He carefully waters the plant, gently lifting up the sides to pour directly onto the soil. He grins at the plant and turns to head out of the room, picking up the sock on his way out and placing it on Taeil’s bed.

Ten begins walking over to the kitchen when he pauses in front of Johnny’s room. He sets down the glass of water on the living room table and walks toward his boyfriend’s room, turning the knob slowly.

Johnny’s room is exactly as he remembers it: closet door slightly open, clothes hanging off the desk chair, picture frames lined along the windowsill. The walls are bare aside from a bulletin board above the desk, decorated with a calendar and thumbtacked memories – movie ticket stubs, wristbands, bandanas, handwritten notes. Ten makes a mental note to change the calendar to May.

His gaze drifts over to Johnny’s bed. His eyes pass over it once, twice, remembering the daytime naps and late-night cuddles spent in this bed – Johnny’s arms wrapped around Ten’s waist, warm breath flowing steadily onto his neck. Summer afternoons spent laying in bed, fingers grazing one another as they reminisced about their friends and family back home ( _“I wish I could go to Chicago with you and meet your family.”)_. Winter nights of holding and being held, soft laughter as they joked and dreamed of their future ( _“Will we ever be in the same unit?”_ ). Hours spent in the comfort of each other, no words needed, heartbeats filling the silence as they drifted to sleep.

Ten lifts the covers of Johnny’s bed and sits on the edge, taking off his shirt and pants before slipping his legs under the blanket. He is immediately engulfed in the warmth of the blanket around him, enveloping his entire body. Ten takes a slow inhale before sinking further into the bed, burying his head into the pillow. His fingers grip tightly onto the blanket as he pulls it into the chest, holding it below his chin as he curls onto his side. He breathes out and shuts his eyes.

Being beneath the blankets of Johnny’s bed is the closest Ten has ever felt to heaven.

 

 

It doesn’t happen again for another two weeks. He doesn’t tell Sicheng at first ( _“I’ll just be home really late!”_ Ten tells him, knowing it’s only half a lie), but Sicheng is quick to catch on. He vows to secrecy, so long as Ten is back in their dorm by 5am, before any of the members wake up.

Ten makes it a routine: he leaves his dorm late at night to stay at 127’s dorm, making silly excuses to any staff he bumps into along the way. Johnny’s bed is always the same as he last left it. Before tucking himself to sleep, he picks an album from Johnny’s collection and plays it on the stereo as he falls asleep. The background noise makes him feel less alone.

He loses track of time while waiting for Johnny to return home. The days and nights pass as Ten spends more time alone in his lover’s bed – midday naps on weekends with no schedule, evenings cuddled up to a book, long nights wishing for warmth. He thinks the rest of the members catch on and if they do, they say nothing.

On a Wednesday evening Ten heads home before the sun sets, sneaking out to 127’s dorm earlier than usual. He kicks off his shoes at the front door and goes straight to Johnny’s stereo, choosing an obnoxiously large album to listen to today. He opens the player and inserts the CD, chuckling at the huge photo of Johnny on the cover as he sets it on the floor. Doyoung’s bright voice fills the dorm while Ten settles himself into the duvet, hands slipping underneath the pillow below him. He falls asleep to Mark’s faint rap in the background.

 

 

“Is… there someone here?”

Ten can’t tell if he’s dreaming, his brain still foggy and whirling with drowsiness as he hears a voice. He decides to shut his eyes and try to sleep.

Feet shuffle past the kitchen and into the living room, stopping in front of the stereo before getting louder. _I don’t remember this part of the album_ , Ten ponders to himself.

The door to Johnny’s room softly creaks open, the light from the living room breaking the darkness within. Ten groggily pulls the cover over his eyes, convinced that the sun can wait until he’s ready to wake up. It can rise without him.

There’s walking around the room, followed by the soft rolling of wheels over the doorframe, then onto the hardwood floor. Something thuds onto the ground and Ten hears the loud unzipping of a suitcase. His heartbeat stops for a second, eyes opening wide underneath the covers. His mouth tightens as he holds his breath and shuts his eyes.

Ten is halfway convinced he’s going to die until he feels the mattress shift beneath him, the bed adjusting to newfound weight. “You could’ve at least told me you’d be sleeping here.”

“Johnny?” Ten asks, both out of doubt and fear. He lowers the covers from his hands, now faintly stained with the sweat of his palm. His eyebrows raise as his eyes shift upward, past the blanket.

Johnny places a kiss in the center of Ten’s forehead, just between his eyebrows. Ten’s shoulders instantly relax, tension dissipating at the touch of Johnny’s lips. Johnny takes the blanket out of Ten’s hands and pulls it over himself, lowering himself to be eye-level with Ten.

“Didja miss me?” Johnny asks, barely containing a giggle. His dark brown bangs are dishevelled, falling over his forehead. His eyes are as full of life as ever, but they’ve dulled with fatigue.

“Yes!” Ten nearly shouts, throwing his arms over Johnny. Ten squeezes him tightly, head nuzzling into the crook of Johnny’s neck, inhaling deeply. He kisses Johnny along his jawline, close to his ear. “Why else would I be in your bed?”

“I don’t know,” Johnny retorts, rolling over so Ten lays flat on top of him. He angles his head to look down at Ten. “Maybe you were collecting my hairs to clone me.”

Ten bursts out laughing, forehead digging into the front of Johnny’s shoulder. He smiles into Johnny’s chest and gives him a kiss there, then looks up to meet Johnny’s eyes before quickly gazing back down. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Johnny smiles down at Ten and places another kiss on his forehead. “I missed you too.” Ten rolls off Johnny and positions himself onto his side, into the crook of Johnny’s left arm. He clutches onto Johnny’s tank top with his right hand and closes his eyes.

“I should’ve told you I was sleeping here,” Ten states simply, his right index finger playing with the front of Johnny’s top. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I lost track of the days and forgot you were coming home today.”

“It’s fine, I gave you the key,” Johnny answers, rubbing his hand over Ten’s shoulder. “Did you remember to water Yuta’s plant? They’ll all be home in an hour or two.”

“Yup, twice. He’d be proud of me.”

They stay like this for a while, heartbeats held in the same place. The CD has stopped playing from the stereo, the only noise in the dorm coming the quiet hum of the fridge. A fluorescent yellow glow seeps into the room from the doorway, allowing Ten to see the warm hazel of Johnny’s eyes through the darkness.

“Can I-,” Ten stops himself, collecting his thoughts for a moment before continuing. Johnny turns his head to look at him. His eyes are focused, intent on hearing whatever is on Ten’s mind.

“I’ve never felt more at home than here with you,” he finally lets out, heart racing past his chest. He swallows hard and suddenly realizes his throat is dry. “It feels like all my worries melt away when I’m with you, wrapped in your arms.”

They remain quiet, breath steadying as they both lay with their eyes wide open. Johnny holds Ten tighter to his chest. He runs his finger down Ten’s left cheek, tracing the edge of his jaw. “I think the word you’re looking for,” he breathes out, turning Ten’s jaw upward, “is sanctuary.”

Johnny leans down to tenderly kiss Ten, holding onto the moment before deepening into another. Ten’s fingers run through Johnny’s hair and down his back, gripping onto him as if he’d fall apart if he let go – as if this could all come crumbling down.

“Can I stay here?” Ten pulls back, breaking the kiss to look at Johnny. “Can we spend every night we can together?” He looks at him earnestly, teeth pulling lightly at his bottom lip while waiting for answer.

The corners of Johnny's lips curve upward, eyes flickering up and down Ten's face as he adjusts his hair, moving the strands out of his eyes. “Of course we can.”

Johnny is the first to fall asleep, jet lag pulling his heavy lids closed. Ten lays still in the bed, watching the rise and fall of Johnny's chest until his breath slows to a steady rhythm. He soon follows suite, relaxing in the warmth of his lover next to him.

If home were a moment in time, it'd be here in Johnny's arms.

 

**Author's Note:**

> can you guess which nct albums ten listened to? 
> 
> if you get this far - thank you so much for reading! it's been a really long time since i wrote any kind of fiction so I'm a tad rusty. let me know what you think in the comments ♡
> 
>  
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/boyfrendery) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/kyungswoons)


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